Leon Smith has said he would dearly love to have Aljaz Bedene, the second best player in British tennis, available to complicate his selection headaches as Great Britain’s Davis Cup captain.

Publicly, at least, Smith is confident the Slovenian-born Bedene, ranked 52 in the world and a UK resident for eight years, will finally win his eligibility appeal when he goes before an ITF panel yet again, in Moldova on 20 March – two weeks too late for him to play a part in the opening tie, against Japan in Birmingham this weekend.

However, the ITF – as it demonstrated in its uncertain response to the reheated claims of match-fixing during the Australian Open – is more glacial than lightning when it comes to decisions. Quite why it would want to prevent Bedene playing Davis Cup for his adopted country – an honour that comes without financial gain but brings enhanced profile – probably has more to do with innate caution than prejudice or principle.

Smith told the Guardian: “I really am hopeful he will be qualified at some point. He has been living in the country for such a long time. He deserves to play. To limit him from playing in such a great competition at such a stage of his career … well, I just think he really deserves to play. He would be a great team member for us. He’s a really good player, great guy, great attitude. Most importantly he can be a great player for our Davis Cup team.”

Whether the mercurial Dan Evans gets to play in front of his home crowd will depend on the energy of the world No2 Andy Murray – back on court for the first time since the birth of his daughter, Sophia, on 7 February – and the fitness of Kyle Edmund.

Edmund, ranked 83, suffered again from stamina deficit at the Australian Open in January, although Smith is not worried. “He will work it out. I’ve seen a lot of young players struggle when they step up to five-set tennis.

Edmund is still ahead of Evans, who has performed heroically for Smith in the past, but the gifted Brummie would give his all if called upon. There is a good buzz around this team, and Evans, even when not playing, has contributed to that.

“We should go out there feeling very, very proud,” Smith added. “But, at the same time, it’s really important that we re‑set for this match. I know it’s going to be an amazing atmosphere, off the back of all that we achieved last year, creating this energy around the Davis Cup team. But now, for us, it’s about winning – and we’re very clear on that.

“It’s in the diary, you’ve planned and scouted for it, get your venue booked and off we go. It feels exactly the same as last year as a starting point. We’ve got to win this match; it’s so important.

“We don’t want to be in a relegation match in September. We want to stay in the World Group, and that’s why, even though it’s not a final, this is a really important match for us. The good thing is that we come with a full-strength team, as do they. They’re actually very strong.”

He admits the Rio Olympics in August – when Murray defends his gold medal in the men’s singles – could complicate Great Britain’s defence of the title.

“It will be busy if we win [this weekend], but I don’t worry about that. That’s a good problem to have,” Smith said. “If we have a quarter-final match the week after Wimbledon, wherever it is – Kazakhstan here, or Serbia away – that’s OK. That means we’re in the quarter-finals again, and that’s a good thing. Then we’ll work with what we have at that point.

“I think the important thing is just to make sure that we give the players what they need, whether it’s this week with what they’ve been doing – to make them feel great, which won’t be difficult because we know that feeling. Then we have to harmonise everyone and make sure they go out and do their best.”